Cajun Magic 02 - Voodoo for Two by Elle James

had to become a social icon, she could handle it. She was used to being gawked at. Her looks had garnered more than her fair share of tongue-lolling stares. She’d just have to class up her act a little.
    Eric Littington . The letters were engraved in bold letters across the brass nameplate. The matching brass doorknob beckoned to her to open the door. She could hear a muffled voice through the thick oak panels. Maybe she should wait until Eric wasn’t busy.
    A little devil in the back of her head yelled, “Do it!”
    Before she could lose her confidence, or maybe before she could regain her sanity, she knocked.
    “Come in.”
    The brief, commanding words spurred her forward and into the room.
    Cell phone to his ear, Eric stood with his back to her, speaking in short, clipped tones. “Yes, I’ll be available tomorrow. Noon is fine. Please thank the mayor for me.” He turned and glanced at Lucie, his eyebrows rising along with the curve of his lips. “Look, Bryan, I have someone in my office. No, I don’t need you here. Take those days off I promised you. Yeah . Catch a big one for me, will ya? I’ll be fine. Thanks.” Eric hit the off button, shoved the phone into his pocket, and strode toward her. “Lucie, I didn’t expect to see you here. To what do I owe the honor of this visit?”
    She blinked twice, her mind a complete blank. Her real reason was to snag the eligible bachelor in a marriage merger, but she couldn’t say that. As the silence between his question and her answer lengthened, she blurted, “I want to make a contribution to your campaign. But if you’re too busy, I’ll come back another time.” Feet getting colder by the minute, she sensed yet another opportunity for escape, another chance to bow out gracefully before she committed another heinous Voodoo blunder. She backed toward the still-open door.
    “No, of course I’m not too busy. However, my campaign manager usually handles the contributions.”
    “Can I leave my phone number for him?”
    “Sure.” Eric grabbed a card and pen from his desk and handed it to her.
    After she’d jotted her number on the back, she smiled and handed it to Eric. “Call me sometime.”
    Eric reached out and grabbed her hands. “Please, stay. I’ve been thinking about you since I saw you at the Raccoon Saloon last night.”
    Warmth spread up her neck into her cheeks. Just great . He’d seen her in her waitress outfit. Not necessarily first lady or congressman’s wife material…
    She tried a carefree laugh that came out a pathetically nervous giggle. “Oh, that. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t dress like that, normally. Nor do I engage in barroom fights on a regular basis.” Wow, that sounded really bad. What congressional candidate even spoke to a woman who got into a barroom fight? She mentally kicked herself for succumbing to the need to deck LeRoy last night.
    “What a shame.” He smiled, his voice melting into her skin like heated butter. “It was the highlight of my evening.”
    Maybe there was still hope. “You mean you don’t think less of me?” Lucie forced a flirty smile she didn’t really feel.
    With a grin smoothing across his face, he squeezed her hands. “I could never think badly of you.” A devilish twinkle lit his eyes. “Not even if you took to the tabletops and stripped.”
    She matched his grin. “Sorry, not in my repertoire.”
    She hadn’t known Eric well in school. Four years older than her, he’d gone off to a private boarding academy in New Orleans before she had gotten a chance to get to know him. She remembered he used to hang out with Ben at the Boyettes’ house, but beyond that, he was a stranger.
    His clear blue eyes smiled down at her. “Do I pass?”
    For the second time in as many minutes, warmth flooded her cheeks. He was smart, but was he clairvoyant? Could he read her mind? Did he know she was after him as her future husband, the future father of her children? Her one-way ticket out of the